Here’s the scoop: Congress is set to adjourn for the year on December 13th, but they have work left to do. Legislation is pending that would help moms and babes right now! H.R. 3255/S. 2122 The Supporting Working Moms Act would extend lactation accommodation protections to salaried employees, including elementary and secondary school teachers, and the Fairness for Breastfeeding Mothers Act would require certain public buildings to provide a private, non-bathroom lactation space for families.[1][2]

Why the urgency? Right now, while nearly four out of five U.S. mothers start out breastfeeding, less than half are still breastfeeding at six months postpartum. [3] Moms want to breastfeed, but discomfort of breastfeeding in public and the lack of lack of break time and a private place to pump in the workplace are some of the main barriers that keep many women, particularly women of color, from meeting their breastfeeding goals.

Currently, federal law requires employers for most hourly wage-earning and some salaried employees (nonexempt workers) to provide reasonable break time and a private, non-bathroom location to express breast milk for one year after the child's birth.[4] This is a great first step, but it leaves millions of workers without any protections at all.

The Supporting Working Moms Act and the Fairness for Breastfeeding Mothers Act would help close the gap in the law and expand protections for all breastfeeding mothers who work outside of the home.

The benefits of breastfeeding are tremendous. Breastfeeding helps protect babies from illness and helps moms heal following childbirth. Breastfeeding also leads to a lower risk of type 2 diabetes and certain types of breast and ovarian cancer. [5] Breastfeeding isn’t just good for moms and babies; it’s also good for our country’s physical and economic health. Recent studies have shown if mothers could meet current medical recommendations for breastfeeding, we would save nearly $13 billion per year in pediatric health costs and premature deaths.[6]

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